Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Marnie and Denver were away for 4 days, so Monday I went to Launceston on the bus for a morning out. Had a few things I needed to buy, then browsed the bookshops (4 bookshops in Launceston).

Just as well they don't let me out too often! I bought these...

I started reading that Part Was True on the bus trip home. It was good. So good that I finished reading it at 2am the next morning. It has the sort of ending where you want to jump up, punch the air, and shout YES!! But as it was 2am...I restrained myself.

Have started the Jojo Moyes book now. I had not read any of her books until recently reading Me Before You. Now I'm hooked.

Also bought this little ceramic wall plaque. It's only 2 1/2 inches across, but I thought it was cute.

Maybe not accurate...but a nice thought :)

And over the weekend while I had the opportunity (after mowing the lawns...so I didn't feel too guilty sitting down that evening with a glass of wine), I watched these...

Maid in Manhattan was good. A romantic comedy...with a happy ending!!

And Blue Jasmine (which I had bought awhile back but hadn't had opportunity to watch) was very good. Cate Blanchett was amazing, and being a Woody Allen movie, it had a bit of everything. Sad, funny, emotional, intense, entertaining...great movie!!

I've also started a new (like I really needed that) knitting project, but I'll save that for my Yarn Along post tomorrow.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

But have put it on hold for a bit to work on my crocheted squares in the Debbie Bliss Winter Gardenyarn. Not sure how many squares I will get from the yarn, so will crochet them all up and then decide what to make ...

Saturday, May 17, 2014

I don't have to set the alarm to get up and get Denver ready for school. I still wake up early (between 5 and 6), but know I don't have to get up if I don't want to :)

I make myself a cup of tea and take it back to bed to drink while I do my morning bible and devotional readings.

I usually then go for my river walk but it was raining this morning so I went to the supermarket instead (it opens at 7am and I like to go before it gets crowded). I drove there today, as I do every couple of weeks to stock up, otherwise I just pick up a few things each day or as I need them on my way home from my walk.

When I got back with the shopping Marnie and Denver were just leaving for Denver's soccer game.

I had breakfast (the standard quinoa, stewed apple, goat yoghurt and honey), then went to the Farmer's market. They don't start selling till 8.30 so I had a bit of time to talk to the vegie man (he and his family are from Laos) and the wine lady (while doing a little tasting).

The weather was bad (rain and wind) so I grabbed what I needed then headed home...

A shower and cup of tea and then down to the library to return some books and pick up those I had reserved that had arrived...

This afternoon I've been catching up with chores here at home.

And tonight...Saturday night at the movies...

Actually it's Saturday night in front of the TV, but that didn't sound as good...

I don't watch much TV. Just try to catch the news each night through the week, but I do like my Saturday night TV. I only watch ABC (the non commercial channel...can't stand the commercials...or most of the programs on the other channels) and try and have tea over by 6.30 so I can sit down and watch...

Friday, May 16, 2014

When God Whispers Your Name

by Max Lucado

Galations 5: 22

IT’S QUIET. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . . No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . . I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace . . . I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . . Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . . I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Monday, May 12, 2014

"Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you."Luke 11:36, NIV

Here at Ellel Grange we were recently having some Bible verses painted on the walls in a corridor, to brighten it up and remind people of God’s promises.

One of our team was painting the letters on the wall, and he commented that it was a bit hard to see what he was doing because the light was dull. So I went and found a lamp and put it beside him. Then he said, “Oh, now I can see all the imperfections in what I`ve done”.

We immediately saw an analogy in this to what happens when God`s light shines on us. It would be easy to think that, when we come to know the Lord everything is suddenly going to be OK, but it’s often the opposite.

It’s when the light of God shines on our lives that we realise just how imperfect we are, and just how much in need of our Saviour, Jesus we are. It’s only when these imperfections are seen in the light that we’re able to do anything about them, by handing them over to Jesus.

The Church, the body of Christ, is full of imperfect people, but Jesus has accepted us into this Body, warts and all. And, as we turn to Him, He’s covered our imperfection by His blood, and given us the promise of a wonderful future with Him in God’s heavenly kingdom. Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for shining Your light upon us through Your son Jesus, the light of the world. We thank You for revealing all that’s been hidden in the dark recesses of our being. We thank You that, by the precious blood of Jesus, we’re redeemed from our sin, and washed clean, white as snow. We thank You that You don’t look upon our imperfections, but rather upon your Spirit that dwells within us. That’s what makes us Yours and totally loveable in your eyes. Amen.

Today's Writer : Kim Haywood Kim Haywood and his wife Celina joined the team at Ellel Grange after attending the 9 week flagship course in 2013. Kim`s passion is to do the will of God and all that it entails.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

We did the obligatory meal out at the Bush Inn on the Saturday night...

Jefferson, me, Marnie and Amy

(Denver was our photographer)

And a day bush walk to Lees Hut on Sunday. It's a 5 hour walk, but because it was midday before we got to the start (after a 1 1/4 hour drive, half of which was on gravel roads) we walked 2 hours...stopped for lunch?...then decided we should turn back or we would not have made it back to the car before dark. It was muddy, because we'd recently had rain, but it was a great day walking through beautiful scenery (despite the occasional leech and me having to contend with a migraine by the time we got home).

Thursday, May 1, 2014

I found these three big hanks of beautiful 8ply chocolate brown natural wool yarn at an op shop a few years ago (1.5kilos of wool for $60), and it's taken me till now to decide what to knit with them. I had the urge to knit something warm and woolly as winter seems to have arrived suddenly (not sure what happened to autumn) so started winding them into balls, using the backs of 2 chairs to secure the skeins over with me standing on another chair leaning over the top and winding into balls. There must be an easier way thinks she.

Then I remembered I had this ball winder thing down stairs....so much easier....

Decided I'd knit this top from an old 1976 magazine...bet most of you weren't even born then :)

It just seemed to lend itself to the naturalness of the yarn. I'm using 6.5 mm needles and two strands of wool together. It's knitting up quickly and is lovely and soft...

And if I get a hankering for some colour...I can work on my crocheted lap blanket...

I've just finished reading this book . It was amazing (read it in 2 days...including 2 hours in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep). It is much more than just a romance (I hate it when the library put those little heart stickers on the spines of the books...I don't really like romance books as such, and I'm glad the little sticker didn't put me off this time) and has given me so much insight into the lives of the disabled/wheelchair dependant. A wonderful bittersweet book. Very highlyrecommended it you haven't read it (but don't be tempted to peek at the ending...I almost succumbed, but so glad I didn't)...

Head on over to Ginny's blog if you want to see what others are working on and reading....

"Be generous with encouragement. It is verbal sunshine. It costs nothing, it warms hearts and enriches lives."(Nicky Gumbel)

"You stand in your own light. Make it shine."(unknown)

"I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.... I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."(Maya Angelou)

"Getting a taste of what you long for is usually more painful than just going hungry."(Leigh Newman - Still Points North)

"It is not doing the thing we like to do, but liking the thing we have to do, that makes life blessed."(von Goethe)

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."(Rabindranath Tagore)

"Let your life speak."(Quaker saying)

"Power, success, happiness, as the world knows them, are his who will fight for them hard enough; but peace, love, joy are only from God."(Frederick Buechner)

"What is faith in God, after all, but believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse."(Philip Yancey)

" 'Tis all but loss of time that passes not in loving."(Torquato Tasso)

"Enjoy the moments. Sometimes that is all we get."(Moi)

"Life wasn't meant to be easy, my child, but take courage: it can be delightful!"(George Bernard Shaw)

“To love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love.”(Thich Nhat Hanh)

"We don't remember days, we remember moments."(Cesare Pavese)

"I am myself and no one else. I am me."(Henning Mankell)

"We are not called to duplicate someone else on earth but to realize our authentic selves."(Philip Yancey)

"You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."(C.S. Lewis)

"My life has been the poem I would have writ, but I could not both live and utter it"(Henry David Thoreau)

"To follow your heart even when you are afraid is courage."(Midnight Sun)